They Call Me Mother

[Lute]

James looked on as his hands were cuffed to an interrogation room table and his legs were held together by a metal brace, Dragon's tech he wondered, knowing how people saw him it probably was. In walked a beautiful woman dressed in fatigues with an American flag bandana wrapped around her mouth however that wasn't what caught his eyes hell it wasn't even the large knife in her hand but her eyes, bottle-glass green eyes that stared into his very soul and to his surprise they weren't filled with hate or even disgust but sadness and curiosity.



Miss Militia POV

Hannah looked at Mother and she couldn't help but be curious. Here was one of the original members of the Slaughterhouse Nine and where those like the Siberian and Bonesaw were the cause of so much death and misery he had the lowest body count of all known members being under twenty. She glanced down at his case file reading it carefully as his eyes traced her like she was the one chained up instead of him, Thinker 5 and Master 2. A high thinker rating she thought and a master rating which probably wasn't even accurate since many believed him to be a kinder Valefor or an unwillingly tag along with the rest of the Nine And then she saw it younger brother the Jack Slash, a man that didn't need an introduction due to how brutal and cruel he was. Here came the number one question why he would turn himself in. It made no sense surely, he must have known he would be Birdcage bound almost immediately or at worst killed on site for even being a member of the Slaughterhouse 9. 'Why come to us why, come here to Brockton Bay, and why turn yourself in"



Mother POV

He thought for a moment taking the time to think about what he wanted to say because if he came off too strong, he would probably sound like Jacob or Miss Militia may scream master and his ass would be carted off so fast it wouldn't even be funny. " I honestly wanted out but not just me for Riley and Mimi too" "you mean Bonesaw and Burnscar" questioned Miss Militia "Hell no use their names it's not their fault jack made them what they are I tried I really did to help them I would sit with Mimi and sing to her while she shook and screamed in her sleep for the quacks at the asylum to stop and whenever Riley tinkered she would go into space and mutter the names of her parents the poor girl couldn't remember them but when a fugue came on she spoke their names as if by magic". "Not just the kids, the others too everyone knows the story of Sphere but what about Hatchet face and Crawler, hell lets toss Sibby in there too for good measure" I had raised my voice and Miss Militia had gone from a bowie knife to a large rifle. I took a breath, and she stared as I began again " were broken every last one of us we both know that just look at how we act to each other and where I am".



Miss Militia POV

Mother was not what she expected, she thought he would simply lie and insult her but instead he really was like his namesake, a scared and worried mother like her own from her childhood. She watched as he looked her in the eyes and opened to begin speaking again " I would do anything for the girls and the rest of the Nine, stick me in the darkest crevice of the Bird Cage please just promise me that the others will get help please". The way he said it was sincere she felt it in her bones, but she had to be sure when it comes to the Nine even victims you had to be sure. 'There's a chance you avoid the Birdcage, a small chance but still a chance'. Mother looked at her but this time he avoided her eyes, "Miss Militia I will submit to Piggot on my knees I mean it so please believe me". Hannah prayed she wouldn't regret this she really did; everyone deserves a second chance even a man like him. "Alright then I believe you but first you will tell me every single thing about your time in the Nine and I mean every last excoriating detail spoke Miss Militia in a commanding voice".






James Black is the younger brother of Jacob Black both are the children of highly religious parents who believed that the apocalypse was on the horizon, where Jacob believed he was the chosen one his little brother was just happy that Jacob was there however as the days went on and day after day it never came, and little James witnessed what was coined as a trigger event and the first thing young Jacob did was slit the throats of his mother and father commanding his brother to follow him for their adventure has just begun. Shaking James was scared and wanted his mom but as he thought that Jacobs eyes narrowed, he softly told James that they are now free and that now he and James will be remembered. The glint in his brother's eye terrified him but the worst part was that it never went away, every time his big brother looked at him, he always felt he was being studied. "James" Jacob said in a familiar tone that made him think of how their dad would speak when he wanted something. " yeah" he replied as neutral as he could make it, "I love you brother and I will protect you but right now we need to find shelter and some food we ate nothing but canned food for almost a year straight don't you think we deserve something more, something worthy of us I'm thinking sweet like a cake for example". Looking back on that day was how Jack Slash learned with a few honeyed words anything was possible.





James POV

Following his brother through the world was like an adventure he thought but when the days turned into weeks and weeks into months James found his brother changed more and more where he once thought his brother saved them from their parents now he began to see Jacob in a different light a damaged mind with a love or drama and a dark sense of humor. On some nights he closed his eyes and tried to remember how his mother held him or how his father played baseball with him and Jacob. Waking up he saw how his brother played with an old switchblade as if it was a toy and then in one swift motion, he made an upward slash and he actually saw the force of the blade cut. James loved the hero's Hero and Eidolon, to him they were his favorites sure Alexandria was cool and Legend was basically gay superman, but he always felt his breath be taken away as Hero showed off a new invention or when Eidolon proved himself the world's 2nd most powerful cape after Scion. " Pay attention James" spoke to his brother and in that instant, he was grounded back into reality here he was a runaway with his brother a killer twice over what will they do.



Jacob POV

He loved his brother, he really did but he was the younger brother so that came with certain drawbacks however he was a Cape. Now was the time for him to create his legacy and go down in history. Thinking to himself as he practiced with the blade, he saw how James looked at him gone as the looks of endearment replaced with fear and uncertainty, Jacob will bring his little brother screaming into the new world whether he wants it or not. They needed a goal. All this moving around wasn't bad but there was no purpose, that must change he thought, and he knew exactly what they needed some fun he mused, and a smile etched itself on his face.



James POV

Years went by and the ragtag duo he and Jacob was no more they followed King and his merry band of psychos, Gray Boy,Harbinger,Screamer,Nyx,Crimson,Psychosoma,Breed, and to round it off was him and Jacob or Jack Slash now. King didn't count him simply because he liked having him as a personal butler and that me and Jacob were a package deal granted I took care of errands or care of the hovels that the group claimed every now and again. Ironically, living with a group of killers wasn't all bad if he was being honest like the Case53 called Nyx she originally didn't care about him but whenever he put a pot on or was cleaning around her she would pull him and sit him by her and teach him basic math and English. During one such lesson he became curious and asked her why she joined the Nine. Nyx looked at him and opened her mouth " James look at me I am a freak to everyone and do you know what my dear sister is", no replied James watching as vents on her body began to slowly move as if speaking. "She is a hero while I am a monster, a thing to be ridiculed and shunned but here I am feared, and this damned body is a tool of death to be used as I please. Nyx's eyes focused on him, and she raised her arm and cupped his cheek, "you are a sweet boy and one day you will be free of this life while Jack ever slowly becomes the next King, "I will probably die in the next few years James but before then I will teach you everything I know". He felt happy Nyx reminded him of his mother, yes she almost definitely doesn't mind killing but after everything it was refreshing to have someone look at him with kindness behind their actions, Jacob strayed further and further away from him and in that moment he wrapped his arms around Nyx as tears trickled down his cheeks she responded to the hug by rubbing his back and reassuring him and in that moment he didn't care, he was happy an all-new family was being formed and he knew his purpose, as long as he lived as long as he was part of the Nine he would do everything he could to make this new family happy just like Nyx has done for him. The Gemma in young Jame brain awoke as if it had been sleeping for years to finally wake up and so did a new personality as well, he would become the kind voice that would reassure and comfort the ever changing roster of the Slaughterhouse Nine like a mother does her wayward children.



James POV

Over the few weeks and handful of towns he had gotten to know more of the Nine and it was weirdly nice hearing them talk or having a normal conversation while his brother kept King busy other members had him doing tasks and other random things while Nyx would pull him aside for lessons and a game or two of whatever boardgame she found. he currently found himself sat across a broken radio listening to the constantly changing voice of Screamer as she did her nails with not a care in the world. "Have you fixed it yet boy" spoke Screamer as she glanced at him, meeting her eyes James replied, " I think so". Screamer unnerved him, she was a sadist and a trickster. She often made her voice small and sound younger, drawing the poor souls in close enough where she would then yell loud enough to have a person's brain melt out of their ears.



Screamer POV

Andrea looked at the child fixing her radio, and several ideas crossed her mind she could melt his brain with her very voice or use her knife and simply run him through, sure the child's brother may take offense, but she knew King wouldn't care, then again, he was useful he could fix minor things like her radio and made a decent breakfast sandwich. "I have a question I would like answered" she said in a high pitched yet sweet sounding manner that she imagined would convey innocence however she figured it might not work on him considering what her dear Comadres are like. "What's the question, Miss Screamer?" replied the boy with a hint of fear in his voice. " If I were to kill you right here right now, how would you react?" she spoke in a sweet affectionate tone.



James POV

"What" James said looking directly at Screamer, her grin was wide, and her teeth were pristine white only serving to make him more uncomfortable, " Well I'm waiting on answer, and you should never make a lady like me wait". James gathered his thoughts and replied "I......I don't know but I won't be helpless and let you hurt me", the more he spoke the clearer and bolder he became and in response Screamer placed her arm on his shoulder "A good answer because if you said something that would allow me to walk all over you, I would have simply killed you brother on kings good side or not". As he went to leave the room she began again "I nearly forgot to go check on Bradley he's being such a stick in the mud, and you know how King will react when he finds him sulking again".





Breed POV

Bradley sat on the floor, his hands gripping his stomach as the damned things inside of him moved around squirming and skittering about. "Fuck not again, why". He felt the buildup in his chest then the feeling of crawling coming out of his throat as he started to choke and hurl finally slime and blood shot fourth from his throat and a small grey ball landed In front of him, it began to move and unfurl itself looking like a scorpion and a centipede mixed together. Bradley stood up and moved towards the creature under his control reaching out his hand to allow the thing to crawl up his arm and perch itself on his shoulder like a bizarre parrot.


A/N: I've dredged this up and a few others from my SB account and since this was my first story and it was in dire need of a redo because holy shit its bad, so I thought why not give it a fresh coat of paint and...... actually update.